Tobacco Cultivation in Palestine
Struggles over Agriculture and Land Ownership in the West Bank
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6457936 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kholoud Al-Ajarma (0000-0003-1271-6770, World Health Organization - Pakistan, corresponding author), D A Jaber (Al-Quds University), Jawida Mansour (State Administration of Cultural Heritage) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 78 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 329-348 |
| Publication date | 2025-11-17 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Middle East Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0026-3141 • E-ISSN: 1940-3461 |
| Publisher | The Middle East Journal (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.3751/78.4.11 |
| OpenAlex | W7111115014 |
| Language | EN |
In the city of Jenin in northern West Bank, Palestine, tobacco production has emerged as a crucial sector of the local economy. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted between April 2021 and June 2023, including participant observation and semi-structured interviews with farmers and tobacco growers, this article highlights the daily struggles of Palestinian farmers and their proactive engagement in protecting their lands in light of ongoing Israeli settler-colonial policies. The article frames tobacco production as a form of “resistance economy,” rooted in the mobilization of Palestinian resources, labor, and consumer power to challenge Israel’s control over the Palestinian economy. It argues that tobacco workers view their labor as integral to safeguarding their lands, avoiding employment in Israel, and maintaining a dignified standard of living
Agriculture · Cultivation of tobacco · Ethnography · Participant observation · Power (physics · Production (economics · Safeguarding · Tobacco industry · West bank · Agriculture, Land Use, Rural Development · Belt and Road Initiative · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies
| Highly cited | No |
|---|